This blog is where you can follow Cap'n Salty and his intrepid crew, aka Dave Spotts and his loyal family, on their journey. We are seeking out the treasure of historic, confessional Christianity in this world of shifting sand.

Monday, June 24, 2013

What can happen? Given enough time
and discouragement we start acting like prisoners.

Now add a spiritual dynamic. The
Bible says people are attacked by evil in this world. Sin in the
world oppresses us. What will we do about it? What can we do about
it? We start going our own way, the way that our circumstances direct
us.

How did God view that in Isaiah
65? It’s a foul smell. It’s something that will come back to
haunt us.

Doing what is right in our own
eyes is rarely the right choice. It’s only the right choice when it
is in harmony with God’s Word.

We find ourselves imprisoned.

not
with a cage

not
with chains

not
with shackles

We can break all those, like the
man in Luke 8.

We are in a far worse prison.

sinful
nature

world

flesh

devil

What will deliver us? How can we
escape? Not even through death and destruction.

Only through Jesus.

Only through Jesus coming onto the
scene.

Only through Jesus arresting our
sin.

Only through Jesus bringing us
forgiveness.

Wait a minute. You want to take
away THAT???

What do we cling to?

What do we depend upon?

Where do we look for help and
hope?

Any place other than throwing
ourselves on God’s mercy in Christ will leave us in the same state
we were in before, or maybe even worse.

Jesus sent the demons away from
the tortured man. They were destroying him. Now they found another
target and destroyed a herd of pigs.

When Jesus destroys our sin, it
finds another target. It kills him. Jesus dies for sin so that we
might have life. What is the result? He rises from the dead. We are
found sitting, clothed and in our right minds, talking with him,
trusting him.

What do we do? Jesus sent the
formerly demon possessed man back to his home. He goes everywhere
telling what God has done for him. We likewise are sent home. And we
show God’s great mercy and love. Our lives are changed. They are
not the same. The prison doors have not only been burst open, the
prison has been torn down and the rubble removed. We are unshackled.
We are truly free.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Again and
again as I read Freedom for Ministry
I found myself agreeing with the ideas, at least in principle. There
were, however, two areas which caused me disappointment. First, it
did not seem that Neuhaus had an overall organizational theme. He did
not tie all of his ideas to the concept of freedom for ministry, at
least not overtly. The book reminded me more of a series of brief
vignettes rather than one cohesive unit. All the chapters did have
something to do with the minister and the way he would view Christian
ministry. Yet the connections were often less than clear.

Another
area of weakness was Neuhaus’ lack of biblical documentation. He
described his ideas well, and they were often ideas which had a solid
biblical ground. Yet he did not approach the writing in this manner,
apparently preferring to present logical and philosophical arguments
on their own merit.

The
points of view articulated were well reasoned and often startling, at
least to a middle-aged adult some thirty-four years from the date of
publication. Many social issues Neuhaus addresses are viewed quite
differently today. For instance, when he discusses issues of family,
sexuality, and abortion the presuppositions of American culture are
those of abortion being recently and tentatively accepted,
homosexuality being of little influence in culture, and marriage
between one male and one female as a norm for adults. Race relations
are front and center in Neuhaus’ mind as he writes. Conflict
between Christianity and other religions is a relatively minor
concern. This book, then, demonstrates that our world is always
changing. The conflicts which are important to one generation may or
may not be to the next. Yet they are always important conflicts.

Through
all of our cultural changes we are left with one abiding truth. Jesus
is Lord of all. He is that sovereign whom we serve. Though his
authority is disputed in every age and every culture, though his
kingdom functions differently from the kingdoms of this world, he
remains the Lord in whom all things hold together. It is the
responsibility of Christians, and especially of Christian ministers,
to be faithful ambassadors for Christ’s kingdom. We do this not by
following our culture, but by following our Savior. This is the
freedom for ministry which Neuhaus would advocate.

Monday, June 10, 2013

Neuhaus concludes his book with chapter
eleven, “The Pursuit of Holiness.” Here he evaluates the
ordination vows in which most Christian ministers promise to adorn
the Gospel with their holy lives. In effect, all the rest of the book
hinges upon this critical factor. Are pastors called to be holy
saints who live exemplary lives as a sign of God’s holiness,
goodness, and mercy? Yes they are, just as all Christians have the
same calling. Yet pastors live out those lives of holiness under
particular scrutiny by the rest of the world. It is important that
the pastor find the balanced and sustainable life of prayer,
activity, concern for the congregation, care for the world, and
dedication to community, family, and even his own well-being. This is
a good testimony to Christ’s work in our lives and in our world.

Friday, June 7, 2013

Chapter ten, “The Imperative
Indicative,” describes the preaching task in more detail, laying
out the concept of the pastor as a man of God, not merely an
administrator. While pastors will not neglect attendance at the
various meetings of the church, at the hospital bedside, or in the
homes of those confined to home, pastors will often neglect the many
hours of study, prayer, and preparation needed to handle God’s Word
consistently. Neuhaus urges the pastor to discover the indicatives in
Scripture, those statements which describe the saints. From that
indicative, from the description of us, springs the imperative, that
which God commands. In preaching and teaching, this is the message we
have. Describing God’s people as God sees them, then exhorting them
in light of their identity, is exactly what our people need.

Thursday, June 6, 2013

In chapter nine, “The Importance of
Being a Preacher,” Neuhaus urges the reader to take the task of
preaching very seriously. Our world needs to hear a bold declaration
of God’s truth. This is the unique role of the preacher. Though
presentational styles and congregational reactions will differ, the
proclamation of God’s Word is indispensable. Neuhaus speaks at
length about the attractiveness of the rhetoric of American black
churches and the care taken by their preachers to work with words and
rhythms. This kind of engaging rhetoric is an undervalued tool in
bringing the truth of God to our world.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

In chapter seven, “The Search for
Community,” Neuhaus describes the Church as a distinctive
community. In his discussion, though, the idea of the Church always
appearing the same in different times and locations is discarded.
Though there are similarities which cross cultural bounds, there are
also very different individual characters to the local church.
Neuhaus warns that when we look for one perfect view of the Christian
community we will always be disappointed. Rather, he suggests, we
should seek the identity we naturally find in our time and place.

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Chapter six,
“Sacrament and Success,” evaluates the definition of a
“sacrament.” Neuhaus observes that the term was originally used
for the pledge that a soldier would make, a pledge of fealty. In this
sense all churches are, by nature, sacramental. We find that the body
of Christ always asserts certain truths and pledges loyalty to those
truths. What defines the success of a church is, however, rather
amorphous. Is the church successful because of its budget, its
numbers, or the size and prosperity of its staff? The church of Jesus
is rather successful insofar as it is faithful to its covenant
nature. We are successful before God as we hold fast to the nature
and identity the Lord has given us, and as we function in our society
within that God-given role. Again this is an instance of our uneasy
role as ambassadors of a disputed sovereign. God’s kingdom
flourishes in a different manner from earthly kingdoms. It will not
be readily recognized or understood. So be it. Let God be God.

Monday, June 3, 2013

In chapter
five, “Reconciliation Against Resignation,” Neuhaus draws a sharp
distinction between the two concepts of reconciliation and
resignation. He observes that in Christ God has reconciled the world
to himself. God has never been reconciled to the world, nor has he
resigned himself to its sinful state. Christian ministry, by its
nature, is a divine instrument of change. On the contrary, much
secular counseling, which took its original concepts from the Church
then stripped them of their role of reconciling people to God,
teaches people to resign themselves to the way our world is. A
secular counselor will help clients accept themselves, endure their
struggles, and wait for change. Sadly, some Christian counselors have
now adopted the goals of secular counselors, rather than holding to
their biblical roots. A biblical minister is an agent of change,
bringing the Word of God to the lives of people who need to be
reconciled to God.

Continuing Education

About Me

Cap'n Salty, aka Dave Spotts, teaches English vocabulary and Koine Greek at The Potter's School (www.pottersschool.org), a web-based provider of classes for home schooled junior high and high schoolers. He also teaches an introductory Paideia and a high school Rhetoric course at Wittenberg Academy (www.wittenbergacademy.org). And whose life is complete without a third job? This one is teaching Greek for preseminary students at the American Lutheran Theological Seminary (www.alts.edu). He is on an exciting theological journey toward the solid rock of confessional Christian faith and practice. Where will it lead? In 2014 it led to a move from service at Faith Lutheran Church in Watseka, Illinois, to taking up residence in Columbia, Missouri. Wittenberg Door Campus Ministry is in process now, bringing genuine Law and Gospel to the community of the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Support for the Voyage

If you want to support us in this voyage, first and foremost follow this blog and pray for us. If you want to get in contact with the crew of the Marmoset, drop us a note on the blog. We can respond on-blog or off, via email. You can also track with us in our new port of call at Wittenberg Door Campus Ministry.